By Alison Adduono, Director of Marketing Communication

What gifts could Covid ever have bestowed upon us? Well TIME for one thing. Yes, the last few years have seen us masking, social distancing, dealing with illness and even experiencing the loss of a loved one, but they have also hit a reset button for many of us.

When non-essential businesses shut down early in the pandemic and restrictions were placed upon many activities such as children’s organized sports, schooling, and travel, we saw a major shift in how we carried out our daily lives. Many people started working remotely from home --- relying on Zoom, Teams and reimagining the home office. Doing away with the daily prep for office life and the commute, people found more time in their days. An extra 1-2 hours a day to spend with the family, learn a new language, engage in a hobby, read a new good book or watch a movie…. personal gifts of time each day.

As schools moved to a remote learning environment, many parents found themselves thrown into the role of educator. Spending more time helping their children with their lessons and homework and finding new forms of enrichment and socialization for them outside of the classroom. Valuable time with their children --- a true gift that will not be forgotten now that they are back in their school regular routines.

Employees that started working from home rather than commuting may have even seen a reduction in expenses. Saving on fuel, buying the daily lunches, avoiding the over-priced mocha lattes, and possibly even foregoing some childcare became an unexpected financial windfall. Less restaurant food and more home cooked meals saw people learning to try new things, cook more and spend more time eating meals with their families.

Yes, visiting loved ones, traveling and large get togethers did take a backseat for at least the first year of the pandemic but what we did see is people spending more time with their nuclear families. People were spending more time at home together. Retailers reported even old-fashioned board games such as Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit saw a rejuvenation.

According to an ASPCA national poll in 2021, 1 in 5 households even grew their families by adopting a cat or dog since the beginning of the pandemic. What better gift could be seen than that of rescuing a shelter animal or sharing love with a new family member?

Another “gift” we saw was employers telling their employees that their health mattered. Stay home – get better. Pre-pandemic times saw people dragging themselves to work when they were sick as almost idolized – now you are encouraged to take care of yourself. And with more employers having remote work as an option, it is even easier to continue to work when you or one of your children require time at home to recover from an illness.

Speaking of illness --- we saw a move towards telehealth and virtual medicine. Online doctor appointments and home testing have helped people spend less time in doctor's offices and access healthcare more quickly.

Recently, behaviors appear to be reverting back to pre-pandemic norms. People are traveling again, and large get-togethers have returned. One wonders how many people will choose to maintain their lifestyle changes, embracing this found time.

This holiday season as we all gather again with our friends and loved ones, let’s remember to embrace those magical times, make the most of them and above all else…. be safe. Take into consideration that you may be around someone who is immunocompromised or in ill health --- be proactive --- test and mask as necessary.

Happy holidays.